4th of July Holiday

The 4th of July holiday falls in the middle of the work week this year, Tuesday. I don't know how people in other parts of the country celebrate the holiday but in this area everyone heads for the lakes. It's a term, The Lakes. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes so there are lots of lakes to choose from.

It's so quiet in town with so many people being out of town, at the lakes. I'll bet it's quite a commotion at most campsites and lake resorts though. Here the hush feels a bit uncanny, the roads silent because they are deserted, missing the nonstop hum of traffic passing by. You can look up and down the main roads and see only a car or two for miles in either direction. Over at the lakes cars are likely parked along the narrow, gravel roads leading to campsites and even on grassy patches neighboring the tent sites with their blocky metal grills.

Every campsite has them, perched on their thick pillared post, pocked and rusted from years enduring the elements, the campsite grill. I'll bet most have been there since the fifties. No one uses them for grilling but they still make a great bonfire for gathering around once darkness settles over the campsite.

Families bring out their plastic lawn chairs, their canvas folding stadium chairs, and a few even use coolers for a seat around the fire. They ring the fire with beers or soda in hand and maybe even a bite of leftover potato salad from the afternoon picnic. More than likely the hard working host or hostess will have planned fireside snacks.

Kids run around laughing and screaming. There's always a screamer when a group of kids play. It's a chance for cousins to bond, friendships to form, and release some pent up energy.

There's a lot of laughter floating across the countryside tonight, accompanied by the crackling of a good bonfire in the sand filled pit surrounding the old reliable campsite grill. Wood smoke drifts through the area, the scent permeating the fabric of the tents and everything inside.

Once it's dark the fireworks start. In town the ruckus starts even before it gets dark. Whether it's a private display in backyards or a campsite, whether a big show at the local university or professionals set up on a barge out on the lake, there will be fireworks. They bloom in the night sky, our celebration of the 4th of July.

Happy 4th of July!